Seemed like a good idea at the time.

Surrender, Dorothy: Reviews Disclosure

This is a review blog, not a personal blog. Marketers send me products for free, and I agree to review them. Sometimes they offer me a small fee for my time. This fee covers my time, but it doesn't buy a positive review. My time is valuable, and there are many other income-producing ways I could spend it. I choose to do reviews because I believe they have value in our culture.
I don't review food anymore. I rarely review music. I don't review games unless they are educational. I mostly focus on books (picture and adult), clothing (baby through adult), services, tools, and home improvement items.
I don't print the press release. Please do not send me a press release. If I review your product, it might not be favorable. I don't return review products because I don't have an assistant to drive them to the post office and stand in that crazy line. I'm not a big corporation; I'm just a normal person with a limited amount of time.
Please, readers, do not be confused: I did not buy anything you are reading about here. I didn't just stumble into Wal-Mart and say, "OMG, I MUST HAVE IT." Somebody sent it to me and asked me to write about it. So I did.
I can be reached at ritajarens@gmail.com.

Some Kind of Samson (Short Story) for NOOKIn the short story "Some Kind of Samson," Jennifer's childhood friend Gail develops cancer, forever changing their relationship and forcing Jennifer to experience the ambiguity of endings.

Sunlight Spas: Review and Giveaway

This was definitely the most relaxing review I've ever done, because in order to write something balanced, you have to EXPERIENCE it. So I had a 60-minute, deep-tissue massage and a 30-minute session in the Sunlight Sauna, otherwise known as the "O Spa Package." And it comes with a subscription to O magazine. Boo-yah.

When I walked in, I thought "I would've never seen this place." It definitely doesn't look like a spa from outside. Inside, though, the decor is great. The attention to detail was fabulous, and there was a special room marked by cool beaded strings in which you could drink alcohol, making this a good weekend-late-afternoon treat. I went for citrus water instead since I was working -- for you, my lovely readers.

They brought me a bowl of warm water with rose petals in it, which was a little cheesy but lovely. Then they left me sitting there for what I thought was an uncomfortably long period of time. This is probably because I was supposed to be relaxing, and I don't relax well. It would've been fun if I'd had a girlfriend there to chat with over a mimosa, though. (All hints.)

Next, I went back and had the best deep-tissue massage of my life with Kylie Cherry, who is up for Best Massage Therapist from Kansas City magazine. (The spa is also up for Best Spa.) There was a time when I went to Heritage College and got student massages every week ($25 for an hour, yo) because my upper back and neck hurt so bad. I've had probably 20 different massage therapists attempt to do deep-tissue, and usually they just hurt. Kylie managed to hit the trigger points and relax me at the same time. She was THAT GOOD. And she looked a lot like Liz Gumbinner, which maybe endeared her to me more.

Next, it was time for that famous sauna. Apparently, because it is far infrared and not the traditional steam kind, it was going to increase my core temperature without making me so hot, much like exercise.

Kylie turned on some sort of sound thing that made the seat vibrate and turned off the lights. I sat and prepared to sweat. It was 154 degrees in that sauna, and I was in there for 30 minutes, and people, I did not sweat. I have no idea what is wrong with me. Maybe it's because it's 93 degrees with 88 percent humidity outside. (Which brings me to wonder why we need sauna treatments in the summer.) Overall, the sauna didn't relax me much, but I'm rarely relaxed by artificial heating, especially in close quarters. I used to worry tanning beds were secretly liquifying my innards. However, if you like that sort of thing, this sauna is totally better than the others I have been in, because it truly did NOT feel like it was as hot in there as I knew it was.

Also, in passing, I really loved the cute little wrap I got to wear, and I'm going to buy one to wear at home. Just because I can.

Now for the good part. Sunlight Spa has given me one O package to give away! And, if you don't win it, anyone who mentions "Surrender, Dorothy" when making an appointment gets 20% off a single service! I feel like a radio station. I am so cool. Not.

So ... the contest will go until midnight on the day I return from BlogHer, which is July 26. Enter as many times as you want. I'll use a randomizer to pick the winner.